A Caveat for Parsons Howlet — John Field

A Caveat for Parsons Howlet · John Field

As for the bThe Saboth to be religious ly kept.…, they neither knovv vvhat it is, nor hovv to keep it by any vertuous or godly exercises, seeing they hauehave none amongst them. And therfore al the abuses that hauehave pestred the … this long time, hauehave sprong from their idolatries. Besides: they defiled it vvith abhominable stageplaies and enterludes, vvith bayting and tearing, ofGardiner, Boner, & the rest that vvere svvorn against the Popes supremacy, and yet aftervvards reuolted. Buls, Bears, & other beasts, with reuelling & rouing like mad dogges. They cared not vvhat deuise took place, vvhat pastime vvere vsed, though therein the diuell himselfe vvere serued, so they might keep the people quiet and occupied in ignoraunce, holding them from the light of Gods vvord: And therefore their … vponupon these holiest dayes, vvere filthy vvhoredome, drunkennesse, misrule and dissolute dealing. Nothing vvas vnlavvfull if once they heard their abhominable masse, vvherein their opinion in that point vvas not so much to be blamed. For hauing committed the most horrible sacriledge in the worlde, why shoulde they make bones at any other sinne whatsoeuer? True it is, that they blaspemouslyThe Saboth day most vvic kedly prophaned by papists both in their meetings, by idolatries, and abrode, by licentious and … enormities. charge the gospel with these abuses and corruptions but how vniustly, all the vvorld may iudge, and their own consciences shal conuince them, sith they … hatched vnderunder their ovvne vvinges, and the Gospell doth from time to time disproue them, reform them and hath gained against them. And euen as the …, and ill fauoured face of an Ovvle doth bevvray his kinde, and al the birds of the field knovv him, assoone as they see him, follovv him and vvonder at him: So these foule abuses bevvray by their fether, that … & idolatry hatched them first forth into the vvorld, vvhichwhich banished the doctrin of faith and repentance, from amongst the Sonnes of men, and lulled them … in deepe security, so as they vvere carelesse hovv they liued: seeing also that … their death, they might buye out their sinnes for so small a value. … they deny these thinges, a day vvill come vvhē the *iudgement of God, vvhichwhichRom. 2. 2. is according to trueth shal conuince them of them, and they shall feele the vveight of them.

As for the second table, they vvho are found suchThe seconde Table. rebelles to God, hovve can they yeelde the duties that are due to men? As therefore they … God, so they yeeld no honour to those chief instruments & preseruers of their life. Their princes, and Magistrats, vvhom God hath … in the highest place that vnderunder the shadovv of their vvings, they mighte enioy their vviues, children, goods and lands, might hauehave peace: and be shadovved from … and oppressors, from forren povver and vsurpers; they neuer regarded. Alvvayes they bedavvbed them*Exod. 20. vvith termes of reproch: And though God, to putDan. 7. 6. both them in minde of theit dueties, and vsus of thatDeut. 17. reuerence vve should yeld him, vouchsafeth to communicatePsalm. 51. 6. his own names vvith them, and *they areProu. 16. …. 12. 10.called Gods, fathers, his ministers & substitutes, yetRom. 13. 1. they called them the seculer povver; layety none of1. Pet. 2. 3. 17. the cleargie; vvhichwhich terme … they vnderstand, chargeth maiestrats to be none of the Lords inheritanceThey called them the lay and seculer …, svvine &c. As for spirituall fathers and pastours, that brake the bread of life sincerely and truely vntounto them; they euermore revvarded them vvith fire and svvorde, for their labors. Their natural parents they brake from,1. …. 5. 3. Tit. 3. not to follovv the truth; but to be votaries & folowers … sectmasters, such as Benedict, Bernard, Bruno, Augustine, Albert, Frauncis, Dominicke, and such like, and if they married; they bestovved themselues most commonly as pleased themselues. And novv, so nevvfangled they are, & … in their professions; of Iesus they vvil be called …, or of the … Iesus; as though the aunciente name of christians vvere not holy ynough to serue their turn vvherin they iumpe vvith such as vvill he of the Family of LoueLove; … to bee of the housholde of …, as to … a name for their … estate. And though that … vnlavvfull Chapiter of Trent … …. …. an. 1215.… this nevve deuised order, yer that it mayConcil. Nicen. 1539. … an euident argument of the constancie of their Councelles, it is against their ovvne ConstitutionsIn capite …. that ordered long before their …, … there…. de religiosis domibus. … be no more such … they found themselues pestred with For they vvere vveary of the infinite svvarm they had already, and therefore one of their ownaPetrus Aliacensis tract. 4. de reformanda ecclesia. Cardinalles 24. yeares before this blasphemous sect … out of the bottomlesse pit, hauing a charge committed vntounto him, to giuegive notice of things that vvere to bee reformed, sayth playnly, that if suche beggerly orders vvere suffered to encrease as they began, it vvould ouerthrowe all. And in this I hope he shall prooue a true Prophet, And the name of Iesus, beeing of his office, this newe broode, by taking it vponupon them, vvhat doe they else but auovv themselues members of Antichrist

Of the price of mans bloud, which ought to bee precisely kepte, and preserued, they hauehave no regard. They poure it out as vvater, & the *earth crieth forExod. 20. vengeance, for that shee hath drunke vp from theirGen. 4. hands, such aboundāce in al places, filling the worldDeut. 5. ful of vvidows, and pore Orphans, They are so farreLeuitic. 29. off: from preseruing life vppon which God the authorMat. 5. of life, hath giuen such special charge, that theyIoh. 8. vvill picke occasions and take the least, forcibly to bereue men of them. And this they vvill doe, not to execute iustice, but for hatred of righteousnesse, and for professing the trueth, without al coulor of iustice deuising al kind of torments, least they should die to easily, worse thē euer did Nero, Dionisius, Dioclesiā or the rest of such like tyrants. They cōplayn of hard dealing, but he that shal enter into their tragical stories & see their practises in al countries, their procedings and executions, shall see plainly, vvhose children they are, by their bloudy murthers, and mercilesse slaughters. But as this is a note that … and his members, whose kingdom stands by bloud,Psalm. 10. 7. shal hauehave * feete … to shed bloude, so is it a noteRom. 3. 15. of Christ and his kingdome, to be pursued of these, to be killed and put to death, … vve lye beforeEsay. 53. them as sheepe, not before the sherers, but as beforeMatth. 5. butchers, and yet open not our mouths and are ledIohn. 1. to the slaughter, not for our euil and vnrighteousnes but because vve reproue them of sinne, holde oute the glory of our Christ, and renounce their false doctrine. VVho knoweth not that they must needes confesse, that they are vnable to keep this sixt commaundement, if they did vnderstande that vvhiche Christ deliuereth Math. 5. thataAnger, Cholerike passions Taunts. collorique passions and reprochful taunts, vndeseruedly bestowed, were branches of murther, but … Pharasaicall & loose interpretations of the cōmandments of God, both deceiued themselues, and infected the vvorld vvith this contagion, that man being able to fulfill the wil of god needeth not much to be beholding to Christ but of this I hauehave said afore.

As for adultery, vvhere reigned it more, then amongst those contemners of mariage,bAdulterie raigneth in the Popes kingdome. See Bale de pontif Rom. in the preface. where were the heads of 6000. children and their bones founde in a ponde, and vnderundercIouianus pon tanus de immanitate ca. 6 Epist. Hulderich ad Nicho. primum. 265. Reade that vile epistle of Clem. …. 4. Tom. 1. Conc. and the dist. cap. …. causa 12. q. 1. alters, in caues and drye trenches, in their abhominable houses, but amongst them VVere not al their Cloisters, Abbeys, and Nunneries, very stewes and brothelhouses? Despising Gods ordinance it vvas his iust iudgement to giuegive them vp as he did the Genriles, not onelye to spiritual vvhoredom, but to bodily, that they should followe the lustes of their ovvne heartes, and defile themselues one vvith another through most beastly filthines, that their Colledges, Abbeys, Nunneries, and religious houses, should be infected … with vnnaturall and vntimely murthers, or vvith liuing bastards and dead bones, or els that they should be filthy Gomorians and sodomites, that *leauing theRom. 1. naturall vse they should commit vnspeakable vvickednes,The vices in religious houses. vvhichwhich contrary to this commaundement they nonrished vvith all kinde of pleasant delightes, idlenes, pampering of the flesh in their greatest and most solemne fastes, they made their choysest feasts, with all kind of dainties & finest …, drinking al kind of sweet wines, that they might fully feed vponupon the pride & lust of the eye, thisaEpist. Belgar. ad Nico. …. Auent. lib. 4. is so cōmō in Rome as I hauehave partly sayde before, and smelleth so strong throughout all Christendome, that it hath turnedVVo bee to thē by whom offences come Mat. 18. many, that are euen but naturall men, who otherwise coulde hauehave fauoured their religion, from them: and beeinge wonne by the Gospell, presentlyAugust. contra … lib. 5. c. 3 louelove the trueth, and a great number of others stumbling thereat, hauehave falne to irreligion and flat Atheisme. Herein also they shewe themselues most vnskilfull of that sinceritie Christ speaketh of, when hee forbiddeth the raunging of the eye, when by no meanes they vvill acknowledge concupiscence to be sinne, and in respecte of their false doctrinebM …. Fomes peccati non peccatu. are faine to denie the definition of sinne, to vvit, that sinne is the transgression of the lavve ofAll the patrimony that the Pope possesseth, he hath vvrung and stolne from Emperours & princes. The dukedome of Sicile, & many …, Apuleia, &c. God, yet because it is reproued by Christ himselfe, they are faine to yeeld a little, that it is the … of sinne, and not sinne it selfe.

As for temporall things, though they be of leaste accounte, yet they steale them both from Princes, and all sortes of people. Neyther vvill their pretenced title of right helpe, though it be confirmed by olde and vvorme … prescription, to ouervvay the commaundement of GOD, vvho … not hauehave one man to encroch vppon another mans possession, and yet they hauehaveaRead Abbas vip sub. 198. made a spoile of all callings, getting into their handes the … of the whole worlde. That they rob fatherlesse childrenDe cons Dist. 5. cap. Discipulos. and vvidowes, vnderunder the … of long prayer, by their … and trentals, and suche paltrye robbing deuises, yea that theyb… famis excusat. a …. maintein … committed in time of …, it is more then apparant

ForcLving & … vvitnes … condemned. bearing false witnesse the false papist vvill not sticke to belye the moste blamelesse ChristiansExod 20. 23. in the vvorlde, and to charge them, though with noDeut. 5. colour, vvith moste palpable vntruthes, eyther to…. 19. bring the trueth into hatred, or them to the fire.1. Reg 21. They will make no conscience falsly to accufe theMat. 7. Luk. 6.notablest men, & most singuler instrumēts that euerIoh. 7. hauehave bene in the church of God, the dust of vvhose1. Cor. 4. shoes they are not vvorthy to licke vp. And hereinIam. 4. …. 25.they shevve themselues like their father the …,Apoc, 12 10. vvho vvas a lier from the beginning, an accuser of the brethren, malicious and ful of poyson. And most … amongst the rest, hath that notable Apostatad… vvas … at Geneua. and troubled the Church, barking against the most comfortable doctrine of Gods …, novv he is become a …. See …, and … also that make mention of …. Hieronim Bolsek expressed the image of his father, in that filthy & slanderous booke that he hath written of the life of that excellent man of God Iohn Caluin, whom without all shame being layde vp … peace, a great vvhile since, and buried vvith Honour, he taketh out of his graue, and gnavveth vponupon his … carkase and bones, more barbarously then any tygre or carian Crovve, the enuye of vvhose honour and … of Gods …, thoughe it hauehave … his serpentine tongue, and …, eythere vppon … or slaunderous reportes, yet his … is … confirmed, by so many rare monuments of learned works, and graue testimonies of those that lamente his lacke in the Church of God, that though he swelt his heart, and burst for anger, he shall neuer bee able amongest the godly to empaire his credite, the value of the paring of a nayle or one haire, much lesse hurt the trueth of God, which dependeth vppon no mans person, but hauehave credite and authority from God the only authorThe ttueth of God dependeth vponupon no mans person, neither do vve measure it by mens liues, but rather their liues by it. thereof. Let the vvhole armie of these slaunderers, that ly by tradition one from the credite of another, doe vvhat they can, the trueth shall stande inuiolable. Howsoeuer men hauehave their faultes, vvho as they are men hauehave the infirmities of men, and must plead merciemercy before that sincere seate, yet this false vvitnesse bearing, reacheth not to men, but to the dishonour of God him selfe, and thetefore that railing Staphilus, Lindane, VVicellus, Vaquerius, Cocleus, Frarin, and others, that belche out their malice againste Luther, Beza, and suche like instrumentes of God, doe but barke in vaine, like dogges against the Moone, that is farre from them & without their reach. Their lies are so notorious, as that of Luthers and Caluines death, that vvhole countries can and are ready to testifie the contrary. But admit that some of these things vvere to be credited, reported by indifferent men: yet considering these vvretches to be shameles and … enemies, hovv vnequall a thing vvere it to accept them for vvitnesses, beeing of a false and contrarye Religion, beeing euen … vvith malice and … against them, vvhose learning and rare … they coulde neuer attaine to: and hauing no conscience in greater matters, vvil make no conscience to belye them, being aduersaries to their falsehoode and superstition, vvhom they labour to bring into hatred, that they may vvinne some credite to them selues, being in deede but monsters in the shape of men, such lyers and slaunderers, backbyters and railers, as are more fitte, I am sory to speake it, to … agaynst VVispes, and to be set vppon Cuckingstooles vvith scoldes, then to bee admitted to giuegive euidence agaynst such godly, graue, and learned fathers. But this hath alvvaies beene the propertye of the kingdome of darknesse, to slander the trueth, and the true professors therof. They hauehave not* sparedMat. 10. 34. the Prophets, Christ himselfe, nor his Apostles,Luk. 6, 40. and therefore vvee must not looke that they vvillIoh. 13. 16. & 15. 20. spare vsus. Trueth vvas alvvaies hated of lyers, andIohn 7. 7. none finde greater friendship in the vvorld then the children thereof. He can say little, that being corrupt of nature, can not speake yll: but he that speaketh the trueth, is of God. This hath hene the practise of popish heretikes, vvhen they find themselues too vveake to mainteine their wilfulnes, then they fall to playne rayling and lying. Then hauehave at Beza, at Caluin, at Luther the dutch Beare, vvhose MotherVVe stand not vponupon miracles, but such as vvere vvroght by Christ and his Apostles. vvas a vvhore and slept by the Diuell. Then Caluine to get credite to his doctrine, must be made a miracle worker (wil he nil he:) though the myracle in deede (if any such were) beaThe practise of popish pedling preachers and pelting writers. set out to hauehave bene attempted by one of their ovvne Iesuites, vvhoThis vvas printed in the Dutch tongue and re ported to hauehave bene done by a Iesuite. in steede of raysinge a man from deathe, killed him, and vvas fayne to entreate the VVoman to be contented, and so persvvade the people, because he could not effect it, that it vvas long of their vnbeliefe. This goodly tale is set out by Surius, and dubbed since forsooth by that Apostata Bolsecke.Surius …. breue. in … gest. But the children of God, they deale by trueth, they… in vita Ioa. …. take no aduantage of any enuious accusation, nor stand vponupon vain coniectures, and ghesses, as they are vvōt to do: vvhat papist hath … taught, in expoun ding this ninth commandement to refrain frō vnsea sonable and vncharitable report of their neighbors faults, … or credite? and yet the truth is, and knovvn to them that scan this commaundement …, that the same God which forbiddeth vsus to defame our brother; doth therwithal enioyne vsus to be as carefull ouer his credite, as ouer our own, and not to speake of our neighbours faultes, but to the ende that they maye bee amended, and other warned to take heed of the like, vvhichwhich is wel known to be only practised amongst the professours of the Gospell, and not amongst them.

Lastly concerning coueting our neighbors house, …, …, maide, Oxe, Asse, or any other thing, they thinke this lust (as before I hauehave partly mentioned) to be so farre from sinne, that they vvill not onelyonly possesse whatsoeuer a Christian man hath, but they vvill neuer be satisfied, till they hauehave his life also, … his religion please them not. As for concupiscence it selfe, flying thoughts and desires, vvhiche the * lavve condemneth, they make no accounte of them, though by them it bee manifeste, that vveeGen. 6. are in that respecte not fully replenished vvith theExod. 20. Deut. ….spirite of GOD, nor free from that corruption,…. 6. vvhiche vvee oughte dayly by nevvnesse of life to1. …. 10. grow vntounto.Heb. 13.

Such enemies to God are these papists, that theyRom. 7. subuert al religion, teaching for doctrin the vnsauoryIam. 1. * precepts & traditions of men, they mingle theirMat. 15. Iere. 2.lead vvith the Lords gold, and * fill his haruest full ofIere. 3. darnel They breake, as you hauehave heard, al the commandements of God, to maintein their own waies, and stop from vsus the springes of the vvater of life, that vve might drink of their puddles. For their own dreams they make vsus forget the name of our God, and leade vsus from that simplicitye that is in Christ Iesus, They are vnthankfull vvretches for al Gods benefits, and toaFor this vvas obiected against the vvaldenses in quodam libr. inquisitorio. say grace vvith them, vnlesse it bee after some mumbling sorte in an vnknovven tong, eyther before meate or after, is a note of a ranke Heretique.

At their tables they neyther louelove to talke, nor to heare any thing of God, of his word, religion orReinerius. Panoplia.any godlines, but al their delighte is in idle talke, iesting,Lyndani. scoffing, taunting, mocking and nipping atThis is their common practise. them that be absent, or beeing present bee better disposed then themselues. They wil talke also filthilyEphes. 5. and vnshamefastlye, to recreate both them selues, and suche fleshly familiars as themselues be. They naturally hate the word of God, and sit vponupon thornes, vvhere the exercises of it are vsed. And if they lay iust accusations and execute iudgementes vppon … offences, yet they doe it not in louelove, but deuise things that were neuer hearde, nor thought of. If they be of Parsons Howlets hypocrites, and come of purpose to church to deceiue theThough this be too common a thing among all, yet it specially belongeth to the papists. prince, and delude the …, and most of all themselues, they are there vvithout all reuerence, either nodding and sleeping in the time of the exercise, or else vvalking and iangling, or carried avvay with idle and vnprofitable imaginations, or else occupied in some popish paltry booke either printed at home or brought from beyonde the seas, or else they are vvatching for some aduantage, agaynst the painfull and godly minister, euermore lying in waite, to stir vp strife, and to disquiet the Church. They are neuer merry, when there is any communication of goodnesse, then you trouble them, they come to bee merrye, they svveate for anger, vvhen they cannot supresse it. Of diuelish malice and sp ite they hate God, detest their neighbours, and their owne soules … al god ines and honestie, to * whom stolenPro. 9. 17. vvaters are sweete, and a whore is more amiable then a spoused wife. Pighius is commended in an orationStaphi. against …. for it, & one Girādus against Bucer, a Colen diuine, sayth, it is better for a priest to hauehave an hundred vvhoores then one wyfe. Aquinas sayth, that marriage is to be auoyded of them that tend to per fection: Durand sayth it is not expedient. Lighttly they vvil neuer marry, they vvill oftentimes be vvell whitled, & then they can raile roundly, then we are heretiks, Puritanes, & what not? & a golden day will once come, vvhen we shall burne sor it, or else they vvil not bestovve so much cost on vsus, a thrust vvith a svvord, a knock vvith a halbert, a pot with a gun or a halfepeny halter shal serue for al. They vvil vvhisper from place to place, and from one to another and vppon their ale-bench, vvhat dayes are these, vvhat vvickednesse is in the world,aAll these goodly tales run amongst them from one to another. See the liues of these Gospellers, vvas there euer such couetousnes, novv al for their vvomen, vvhores and bastardes. O the golden vvorld is gone, vvhen vve had 24 egges for a peny, vvhen vvee mighte goe to this religious house and that, and hauehave good chere our bellies ful, and no man can saye, blacke is your eye, or from vvhence come you. They say the Masse is naught,The common speech of …. but I can not tell, then vve had a mery vvorld, and all things plentie, O since I can remember, vvhat myrth vvas there in all townes, in our villages and vvakes, vvhat good felowship: vvhen no mans wife vvas in …, when few mens daughters were maryed vyrgins: and as for mens seruaunts, they had more myrth then in a day, then they hauehave nowe in a hundreth. Then they sang and sponne, they medled vvith their …, and … by the fayth of others: Nowe they are so bookishe, become so vvise and learned, that they vvil meddle vvith the scriptures. It was neuer merry vvorld since there vvas so much talke of …, since eueryevery cobler and Tinker … vvith it, and a byble must stande in eueryevery vvindovv. VVel, the Queene cannot liue alvvaies, and when our day commeth, vve vvill bee euen vvith them, they shall stand at our receite and …, and then our argumentes shall make them to stovvpe, or else … vsus a … payre of heeles: VVhen they … of any ouerthrovv, murther, or cruelty against the professorus of the Gospell, or that some noble captaine that goeth vvith them is …, then they banquet one another, they … and laugh together, and looke as bigge vponupon vsus as if … day vvere … ady come, & they vvere already become Lords ouer vsus. But he … sitteth in the … shall … to …, for be seeth that their … Psalm. 37.…. The … that they hauehave whetted and drawne against vsus, shall enter into their owne …, & their bowes shal be broken. The Lorde … the armes of these vvicked ones, and … vp vvith his ovvne hande against them. For they are those false vvoorshippers vvho vvorshippe (as *Ioh. 4.Christe sayde to the VVoman of Samaria) they wot not what Deceitfull *Mat. 24.prophets they are, that tel vsus here is Christe, there is Christe. The cake ouer the altar, the roode in the roode …, the image vponupon the crosse, and such like stuffe, but vve are cō maunded, not to … them. They are such (besides that generall condemnation, that is in Adam vponupon al flesh) vponupon vvhom the wrath of God is specially declared frō heauen, for their vngodlines and vnrighteousnes, for they suppresse the truth, & hold it vnrighteously by an vniust possession. They * are…. …. vvithout excuse, bicause when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, but became vayn in their reasonings, hauing their foolish harts blinded, thinking them selues to be vvise & learned, they became fooles, & turned the glory of the … God into the framed image of a mortal mā, of birds, … footed beasts & creping vvormes For they worship a man for S. Mathew, a byrd for S. Ioh. a calfe for S. Luke, and a Lyon for S. Mark. This is the cause (as I hauehave said before) that they are giuen vp to the lusts of their owne hearts (as the Gentiles were;) that they should from spirituall vvhoredome fall to carnall, & cōmit vnspeakable euils, defiling their owne bodies amongst thēselues. For they hauehave … the … of God into a lye, and therefore it is his righteous iudgment, that they should be giuen vp to beleeue & delite in lyes, that passing ouer the Creator, who is blessed for euer, they shoulde vvorship creatures. All the vices vvhere vvith the Apostle chargeth the Gentiles in the first to the Romanes, and the roote vvherof he proueth to be in all flesh, are apparantly in them, not only by nature, but in a full practise & execution. For they are vvholy giuen vp to follovv them with a full foote. They are ful of * vnrigteousnes,Rom. 1. …. fornication, wickednes, couetousnes, lasciuiousnes, enuy, murther, debate, deceite, euil cōditioned; they are, whisperers, backbiters, haters of god, doers of wrōg, prowde, bosters. They are false * teachers2. …. 2. vvhichwhich bring in damnable sects, denying the Lord that hath bought thē, & through vvhō the vvaye of truth is euil spoken of. Presumptuous they are and stubborne, fearing not to speake euil of thē that are in autho rity. They count it a pleasure to liue heere deliciously for a time, & to follow their own deceiuable waies, fearing one another: amongst thēselues & backbiting the truth. Read that liuely description of al the Popish clergy, in that 2. epistle of Peter and the 2. chapter. They hauehave eies … of adultery, and cannot cease to sinne: they lay bayts for instable minds, hauing harts exercised to couetousnes: they are the cursed children of Cain, & hauehave forsaken the right way: they are gon astray, following the vvaye of Balam, the sonne of Boser, who loued the reward of iniquity. They are vvelles vvithout vvater, and cloudes carried about with a tempest, to whome the thicknes and mist of darknes is reserued for euer.

Such enemies of God they are, as exalt the sonneThes. 2. of perdition aboue al that is called god, or worshipped for God. They allovv his dispensations againste God and his lavves, and as for his sake (such beastesSee vvhether their dayly practises proue not this to be true. they are) they set them selues againste God. So doe they not care in regarde of him, and in respecte of that idoll the masse, to betray their ovvne country, Prince, Parents, kins folkes and friends to the veriest straungers and enemies in the world, yea and to lay dovvne their ovvn liues, Let any come forth & deny this, if they can with any coulor of truth. Our country hath founde it too true, and there is none that hauehave had any dealing in any place of … vnderunder her Maiestie, but can confirme it by particulars in their continuall practise, not only for casting abroad their … lil elles, but also for sending into this realme their pestiferous and trayterous… sundry books, Sanders, Dorman, …. bookes, and bulles against the Queenes maiesty, & her honourable councel, state and peace, that hauehave bene the very sparks and firebrands of rebellion, & vvould hauehave bene of further flame and greater destruction, had not God in his greate mercye, by the light of the gospell, taught and instructed men, how they should hold themselues in dutifull loyalty, and true obedience, Put of this a little more afterwards.

Such enemies to God they are, as deuour pore widows houses vnderunderbSundry … in anno. 1580. very trayterous against the state, and … the mi nestery, scattered through out … realm. colour of long praiers, & sticke not to compasse sea & land, to bring men to theireA common practise amongst them, to be reuēged by Libelling. false fayth, or else to death, as Alphonsus did by his own brothercIoh. Slei. li. 17 Cris. in mart. Ioh. … * Blinde guides they are, wicked fools, tithers of mint, Anise & cumin, omitting faith, iudgement & …. Hipocrites they areMath. 23. 14. that make clean the outside of the cup & platter, butMar. 12. 40. within they are full of rauen and * …. They are vvith the …; VVolues in sheepes clothing,Mat. 15 14. & 23. 16. 24. painted sepulchres, outwardly glorious, but within full of rotten and dead bones. They beare a shew ofLuk. 11. 24. Christianity, and yet are full of … and murther:Mat. 7. 15. Luk. 11. 39. 40. &c.they * say, if they had ben in their fathers daies: they woulde not hauehave slaine the … and apostles: and yet marke vvhat they … in all Countries against the christians. Let Queen Maries time, the continuall murthers and … that hauehave … in Fraunce, Flaunders, Spayne, Scotland, Ireland, at home amongst our …, & abroad, wheresoeuer … hath gotten in a foote, beate witnesse. Are not these therefore enemies to God? Is not Antichrist the Pope, of vvhome all this hellishe rovvt hold, an enimy to God?a…. …. 33. Cantic. … not his seat where he …, the doctrine he tea heth, the maners that he …, quite contrary to Christe, and playneMarcel. Palin. in Leon li. 5. marks of his Apostasie? Is not Rome (asb…. Petra. ep. st 20. Franciscus Petrarcha calleth it) the whore of Babylon, the mother …: … and …, from vvhence allHier. in Catal. script. eccles. in Ma. co. shame and … is …? Doth not Peter in the first epistle vnderunder the name of Babylon name…. lib 3 … 537. Rome, by their ovvn confession, and by Hieromes ovvne interpretation, and as Campion him selfeAbb V p 198. Apo. 18. graunteth? And herefore, as Iohn * describeth it, it is that Romane vvhoore that sitteth in her Scarlet robe, full of names of blaphemy, the habitation of diuels, the holde of all soule spirites, the cage of all vncleane & hatefull birds: out of vvhose cup, al the nations in the vvorlde hauehave drawne the draught of the vvine of the wrath of her vvhoredome.

Such enimies they are, as through the * effectual wor2. … 2. 9. 10. 11. …. king of … all … the word of …, to whom God … sent …, that they should beleeue lies, and preferre the … fables of a lying legend, before the blessed byble, receiuing as a iust recompēce, the fruits of their … rebellion, to vvit, ignorance, blindnes, a levvd vnderstanding, and in the ende iust demnation.

Suche enimies they are, as giuegive heede to spirites * of errour, to the diuelish doctrine of such as spea1. Tim. 4. 1. 2. 3. false thinges through hipocrisie, hauing their conciences branded vvith an hotte yron, are * grieuousAct. 20. 27. 29. vvolues, making no conscience to teare and deuour the flocke, * concealers of Gods counsayles,Luk. 11. 52. speakers of peruerse thinges, and dravving disciples after them. For they vvold hauehave al the vvorlde to follovv them vvithout any examination. They shut vp the kingdome of heauen, and vvill neither enter themselues, nor suffer others to enter. TheyaMarcel. Pali. li. 6. de sceler. omnium ordinum. are Hipocrites and Gomorrians in deede, of the seede of Cain, children of the diuel, blasphemers & bloudy persecuters. They hedge in the Catholique Church, like the Donatists, into a little corner of the vvorld: They crye, theybRome a parti culer Church, no Catholike Churche, to whom the Greek church vvould not be subiect. are the catholique church, and yet vvould dravv vsus to one that is more particu lar then many others of the Greek, that vvere neuer ioyned and continued vvith them. And none must be of their Catholique church, but such forsooth as subscribe to their synagogue, much like as if they should affirme, that all Christendome vvere to bee included in Kent. TheycAbsurditie of transubstantiation. confounde the humanitye of Christ, making I can not tel hovv many thousand bodies,dFor this point read the fumbling of their ovvne scholemen. turning the Godhead into the manhood, & the manhood into the Godhead, agreeing vvith all the auncient heretiques that erred about his diuinity and humanity: foreAnno. 425. vvith the Futichians & Monothelits, they make him to consist of tvvo natures,Prisceanns & Cyrus the first authors Anno …. but not to hauehave two natures, neither tvvo vvilles: or else they make him to hauehave a phantasticall body, asfNiceph. lib. 18 cap. 45. Marcion Cerdon, and Manes did: to be, in infinit places at once, in heauen and in earth, denying the trueth of the humanity: as Valentinus, they make him to hauehave a body of an ayrie, insensible, and inuisible substaunce, as also Apelles did: vvhereas his * ovvn vvord teacheth vsus, that vve should not beleeueLu. 24. 39. 40. him to be present in body, except by our senses vve could perceiue a difference betvvixt him & a spirite.

Such enemies they are, asaPope Lucius 24. q. 1. cap. Recta. beleeue they cannot be saued, vnlesse they bee subiecte to the Pope, vnlesseCalixt. dist. 12 Non decet Nichol. dist 22. omnes Greg. dist. 80. cap. 52 qui. they acknovvledge him to hauehave all authoritie in heauen, earth, hell, purgatorie, and vvheresoeuer. Do not they herein plainly deny God, from vvhom alone is all saluation, as did Hebion, Cerinthus, Basilides, Carpocares, Photinus, Artemon, Paulus Samosetanus,Mat. 9. 3. Ennomius, AEtius, & Theodotinus, vvhē they vndoubtedly beleeue that the Pope can forgiue sinne? A grosser heresie, then euer the * ScribesIn vita Gre. 7. Bulla Clementis.and Pharisees vvere infected vvith, vvho deeminge Christ to bee onelyonly man, thought it extreeme blasphemicPanormit ertra … cap. fin. for him to take vponupon him to forgiue sinne. They are persvvaded that the Pope by hisbPope Hildeb. ex plar. BenedictionSumma Angelica in dictione Papa. &c. can make thinges more holy then cuer God made them in their creation? that he can dispence vvithcSigism. Neapo Decisiones rotae in decisionum tertia. Christe, Peter, Paule, Moses, and all lavves both of God and man? VVhosoeuer kisseth his shoe, though hee vvere excommunicated, yet for so doing he hath cleane remission a poena & culpa;, bothAnt. Ma…ia in addit. 1. Decis. rotae. from the punishmente and faulte. VVhat shall I saye they are suche enemies to God, that they beleeueNouas. Ekius l…or…m communum cap. de ecclesia. 5. q 6. … in glossa. Eckius de consid. Statuta canonum. vndoubtedly, thatdGlossa in …. 11. cap …. if a prieste or one in holy orders knovv an harlot carnally, hee sanctifieth and blesseth her in so doing, & as Petrus Rauennus saith, Though handling & kissing be occasions of inconstancie and vnchastity in lay persons, yet in priestes and those that are in holy orders, it is far otherwise: a wife he must disauow & forswear, but not a whore. It is not good to touch a woman, therfore it is euil.

And seeing eueryevery priest maketh a God eueryevery day, or as often as he consecrateth, and therefore excellethMant in Alph. Non … incont nentia, sed matrimonium. the virgine Mary, that did beare him but once, and from vvhom he onelyonly tooke flesh and bloud: It can not be that they can intende, commit, or performe any such greate euill. And if they doe, vvhat great matter is it, seeingaThis is like the vvay that Iulia deuised for triall of their mortification, to laye men and vvomen together, and a crucifix betvvixt them Agrip, art 22. Christ redeemed the whol vvorld vvith one drop of his bloud, and left the rest to the pope, his vicar generall at Rome, and from him to all the other priestes, that they mighte hauehave the ouerplus to make pardons vvithall, for these, eyther waightye, or petty offenders. It vvould vvery a man to reckon vp all their abhominations. TheNon obstantibus constitutionibus, & ordinationibus Apostolicis caeterisque contrariis quibuscumque c Siluest. Prierius contra Lutherum. Pope and his generation are as like vntounto Christe, as light is vntounto darknes, and as Parsons Owle is to a Nightingale: For Christe being God, became verye man, the pope being an abhominable man, taketh vponupon him thebClement … one … of this bloud: vhiche Iuli the thir e had at Rome, al England … as pardoned. …. office of God, yea and to bee aboue him and his word, Christ humbled himselfe, and put him selfe as it vvere out of himselfe: the pope maketh himselfecAlb. Pighius. equal with God, & not without rob bery, more then God, Christ neuer came amōgst theStanislaus Ecchinius in Chimaera. multitude vpō a barred horse, both with swordes & keyes, like a Prynce and a Prieste, thoughe in deede he vvere both. But thed… the …. and … the … Read … Sabel. pope that wil needes be hisHierarch lib. 1. cap. 2. 16. q. 1. Vicar, he hath done it. The two swords vvith Christ,Quicunque in glossa Dist inc …. Lector. ….Francis Zarabella.So ……. …. …. ….are both iurisdictions ciuil & ecclesiastical,aSee the Pontifical & the booke of the … of …, that … the emperor, Princes dukes, & earls their seuerall places. lib. 1. sect 5. ca …. …. …. cap 20. a Pope in the forenoone, a vvarier in the after, yeabAnton. … part. …. Emperours, kings, princes & dukes serue him vvaite vponupon his styrrup, leade his horse, holde basen and to vvell, carry in his seruice, vvaite vppon his cup kneeling, and all the rest kneeling vvhile this is a doing. They beare his Canopy ouer his head, they kisse his foote and vvhom the Lorde hath annointed to beare his image amongst men, they abase themselues and become slaues to this prond beaste of abomination. Christ had conuersation vvith the poore, the popeTit 22. ca. 5. 4. looketh at leisure vponupon the mighty, and he scarcelyCerem. lib. 1. cap. 80. vouchsafeth them his presence: Christ liued sparing ly and porely, they deliciously and wantonly,cBaptista …. Popeli … sec. 5. c. 4. Iuly notvvithstanding his goute, vvoulde hauehave his porke in despite of God, and was in such a rage, also for his pecocke, that he blasphemed God, alleaging that if God vvere angrye … an apple hee had greater cause to be angry for his pecocke, Christe vvashed his disciples …, the pope treadeth vponupon the Lords annointed vvith his feete. dMarius.He crouned… fol. 13. Henry the sixt vvith his foote, and vvith his foote vncrovvned him againe. Christe … to be made a king, the pope giueth, disposeth, and transposeth…. …. kingdomes at his pleasure and appoyntmente. He setteth princes and Subiectes together by the eares, and maynteineth factions on all sides, to vpholde his proude Hierarchie, … eRoger us Houedenus.Gregory the second did irritate the subiects of Leo the Emperour agaynst him. As … assoyled Pypin and the rest of the Frenche, from their othe and alleageance to Childericke, vvhome hee made to trotte at his horse hecles three miles together.fPope … 1. 15. q. 6. cap Alius. Phocas … and a…. murtherer is by him lifted vp to an Empire, & he againe for recompence aduaunceth him to be Antichrist, by giuing him that which the other sought for to wit to be the vniuersall Bishop, which his predecessors condemned.aThe places are quoted before ex gres sus Hildbrand Hildebrand that firebrand of hel, of whom al stories write shame, made Henry the fourth with his wife & Sunne to coole his feete, the space of three daies at his gate, before he would admit him to his presence, and yet that was by the … of his whore. AndbClement li. 2 desent. & re indica. cap. 2. Clement the …, who pronoūced the empire to belong to him, made Dan dalus a noble man, & an Embassador from the vene tiās, in chaines like a dog to lie vnderunder his table. The Pope is the Sunne, The Emperor is but the moone.cAuentin Rex venitad fores iurans per vrbis honores. Post homo sit Papae sumit quo date coronam. Emperors & princes be his Vassalles & feodaries, & receiue their crovvns & dignities frō him. They become his men. EueryEvery hedge priest is before a prince, because Priests make God, but al his Princes are the Popes creatures. Christ * sent his disciples to preachMat. 28. the Gospel. The pope & his Cardinals persecute & stop the preaching of the gospel, & their chiefest busines is to practise … & …, that his Soueraignty may be maintained in al dominiōs.dRead … of the practise of prelates. ChristMat. 5. 6. 7. himselfe taught the gospel, The pope can flye as welMat. 27. 32. as preach. * Christ being both poore & weake vvas…. 23. 26. 27. compelled to bear his ovvn crosse: theeCerem. lib. 1. se. 2. fo. 33. 35. pope being fat & strōg is born of others. * Christ wore a crownMat. 27. 29. of thorns, the Pope weareth a triple crovvn of gold,Lu 12 13. 14. … with precius stons. * Christ vvold not take vpō him the deciding a ciuel cause, vvhen tvvo brethren stroue for land:fpope Innocentius 3. D. … cap. … Causa. 2. qu 6. cap ad …. The pope vvil meddle vvith al causes & deale with al persons in heauen, earth and hell. Christ died to saue vsus & bring vsus to heauen: the Pope liueth to kil vsus, and lead vsus to hell. Christ thorough his death recōciled vsus to his father the Pope continually killeth vsus and dravveth vsus to his father the diuel. Fire & vvater are not so … as Christ and the pope. Christ vvas true and sincere, heaAurea. Leḡ. …. temp. is fals and counterfaite and notvvithstanding al the prerogatiues of his chayre, (as hath bene partly touched before) vvhichwhich as Cusan saith, hath the trueth cleauing vntounto it, yet it is euident, thatbLuit. Vallande donatio. … Leo,cPugosus de inusitat. mortis generibus. …. q. …. vino. Liberius, &d…. … 31 Anastasius vvere Arians.e… in quadam epist. Celestinus andfLyra. in Mat. cap 16. Marcellinus, Nestorians,gSabe. Ennead 9 lib. 3. Honorius vvas a Monotholite.h… decade 2. lib. 3 Benno. Vsperg …. Ioh. 13. a cruel villain, theiIn the accusa. of VV. Plesiuro knight. 14, a tyrant, Hildebrand an helhounde, a coniurer, an incestuous vvretche. Reade his life set out by one of his ovvne Cardinalles. Boniface the 8. vvho entred as a VVolfe, raigned like a Lyon; and died like a dogge, vvas so farre from not erring, that he is tainted vvith all kinde of villanies, and iskpope Paschalis Casulanus Platina. accused to hauehave affirmed vvhoredome to be no more sinne, then the chaffing of tvvoR d hands together. No more vvas Pope Paschall, vvho set the sonne of Henrie the fifte againste his ovvne father. And made PopelChroni. vernacul. Calixte to ride through Rome vppon a Camill, vvith his face tovvard the tayle, and to holde the … tayle in his hande,…. in steede of a bridle, vvhiche doeth no more commendeStella. his innocenice then this doeth PopemSi … 4. Innocentes,Mat. Paris. vvho armed Philippe of Fraunce agaynstePope …. … Plat de vitu … King Iohn sometime our souereigne Prince, to the disturbance, vndooing, and spoyle of this Realme. Thinke you not that Popen…. Textor. … the fourth also, vvas a holy Father, vvho not onelyonly himselfe vvas giuen to that sylthie sinne of Sodomitrye, but also dispenced vvith Peter …, and … a… Mā tuan …. 4. … & oratio ad ….Hicrome for it, during those three hot monthes of the yeare; Iune, Iuly, and August. I ambTheir doctrin is euident, their liues are so horrible that I am a shamed … set them dovvne, see their ovvn stories. vvearie of speaking of all, the stories are plaine, that from that same first Apostata Bonifacius, to him that novve vsurpeth that seate, they hauehave bene all taynted and infected both vvith corruption of doctrine, & lewdnes of life, VVhat shoulde I speak of their cruelty, dissention. liues, and death. Iohn thecPraemōstrat. …. vvas begotten in adultery. IohdVolateran. the 12. … in it. Thee…. 13. was slain as he vvas committing it, the 18.fBucching. was put to death, and both his eies put out, by the meanes and procurement of Gregory, about it, PopegCapgraue. Clement poisoned LodouikhCommentarius super Arti …. Volat. Syluester the 2. was a notable …,iPraemonstrat Benno Card. Sigeb. Gregory the iuuēter of images was giuen ouer to al kinde of vvickednesse.k…. Sabel. Benedict is said to be the corrupter of Rome with al filthinesse, vvho sold his popedome for a great summe of mony.lNauclerus. Stephan so raged against Formosus being dead long before, that hee disanulled his decrees, tooke vp his dead carcase, threw it into Tyber, chopt of 3. of his fingers, and cut of his nosemPlat. Vrbanus dround fiue of his deerest … in sacks. If this be not ynough to prooue all these Popes, and those that hold of them, and … them, suche vvicked ones (which is * alike wickednes) to be … to god; letPro. 17. their ovvne …, I say, … further searched. Ia al thinges they are moste contrary to Christe. The vvhole description of Paule agreeth to them in all points.

VVhereas it is further sayd, that he shal … vp … ab ue … that is called God. It is moste euident, he contenteth not himselfe, vvith the … and … that belong to Angels and men, but wilhaue those that belong to God himselfe. And his clavvbakes and flatrerers, not the grossest but the finest and wittiest, not of those olde flattering Ciuilians, but our new oilemouthed diuines, M Harding and such like hold, that after a … he may beaHierom in Daniel cap. 3. called God. Euen … Antiochus, Domitian, & Caligula arrogated those names, so do they, & therefore they make no bones to take it thusb… Marc. in Cencil. …. sess. 4. Thou art another God on earth. And Cardillus a spaniard vvriting in defence of that late cōspiracy of Trent, often times caleth the Pope an earthly God. AndcCardillus pro Concil Trid. Cardinall Hostensis saith thatQuanto …. except sinne, the Pope hath power to do … soeuer God himselfe can do. ChristdExtra de …. & the Pope make but one cōsistory, &eLeo …. 39. Extra in sex to lib 1. Christ hath receiucd Peter into the felovvship of the indiuisible vnitie. And theresore the CanonistsfDe Consuetudine. Non putamus. hauehave … vvhole disputations, whether the Pope be God or no: whether he cānot do … God may do: That no appeale can be made from the Popes consistory to God, becauseg…. Ioh. 22. ab uno … non …. And they confesse plainly to all the vvorl de that hee is Dominus … noster … our Lorde God the Pope. And albeit thehCeremoniar. lib. 1. cap. 2. late qualifiers say, that he is … God nor man, but a thing betvvene both, yet they affirme, thatiConcil. Later sub Leo dec. in … Stephani. kings reigne by him, which is spoken only of God that he hath allkFrancis Zarabella. 15. quaest. power in himselfe, aboue al povvers as vvel of heauen as of earth, therfore he doth what himselfe …, yea vnlavvsull thinges, and he is more then God. Shall any man checke him? are not the scriptures subiect vntounto him, being God, do they not say truly? that the popelAuthoritat. in glossa. can dispēce against the lavv of nature? against themDist. 82 …. Ielin. constitutionibus. Cannons of the apostles, against thenStatuta Canonum 6. qu. Quicunqua in glossa. new testamēt, against all the commandements, a… de … & obedientia ca. ….against Pauls Epistles, In Baptisme he may alter the form,bSumma Angelica. in litterapp. In mariage he dispēseth with al persons, sauing onelyonly vvith father and mother. A man may marry his ovvn sister, and here of Pope Martin the fist hath left vsus an example. Nay one sayth, that the Pope may dispense supra … & of vnrighteousnes he can make lighteousnes, and ofcPanorm extra Hostien. de trans episcop. … no sentence, hee can make a sentence, and ofdHaruaeus de … pape nothing, he can make something. HeCard Cus. ad … epis. 2. challengeth suche authoritye to expoundQranto. and declare the scriptures, as it is not lavvsull for any man to holde or thinke the contrarye. Of the fulnesse of his povver he can do all thinges. If this be not the * mouth that Daniel spake of thatDan. 7. 8. vttered presumptuous things, let themselues iudge if they hauehave any shamefastnesse in them. If this be not that beast, before vvhome the kinges and princes of the earth hauehave fallen dovvn and vvorshipped: Let master Censurer or Parsons Hovvlet together vvith all that darke broode tell me. But this is that * Beast, to vvhom they hauehave yelded their povver, &…, 13. the vvoman that sitteth vponupon this beast, is that filthy … of the vvorld, (as they speake of their stevves vvhichwhich they tollerate) I mean the citty of Rome, to vvhichwhich povver is giuen ouer eueryevery tribe, language & nation: vvhichwhich all the inhabitantes of the earth shal worship, whose names are not vvritten in the book of life. And hovvsoeuer this mōster come vnderunder the pretence of …, & vvil hauehave thesefDe maior & …. vnam sanctam. In glosla. … & presumptuous titles of most blessed and holy father,Dist 40. Non. nos. yea, vvilbe calledg…. in Iob cap. 34. lib. 25 cap. 14. … it selfe, and vvil be placed in such absolute and spiritual estate of holinesse as none can be in, but him selfe, and therefore must not be … of any fault vvhatsoeuer without sacriledge, yet herein also he is plainly proued to bee that Antichrist, that being a damnable man and no spirit,aAnsel. in 2. by lying he feigneth himselfe to be God, and therfore feigneth himself to be religious; that vnderunderThes. cap, 1. the couler of godlines hee may deceiue, yea he calleth himselfe God, and causeth himselfe to be worshipped. There is nothing belonging to Christ and to his special office, that he doth not take vponupon him: he forgiueth sinnes, chaungeth the nature of things,Euseb de preparat. … 7. will be head of the Churche, an vniuersall by shop, Lord of the vvorlde, a commander of Angels, without error, and what not? This is a plaine token that…. he hateth God, seeing he will be called by the nameAgatho. of God And being a thiefe, an Apostata, and a slaue will yet be worshipped as God, and proclaimed as a king. This is he, … holdeth that hisbDist. 16. decrees, must be esteemed as spoken by the instincte of the holye Ghost from Peter himselfe, who hauing full authority mustcBonif. extrauagant. cap. de obedient. conclude, decide and define al things, who is the wonder of the worlde, and therefore ofd… in …. Papa is called Pope, before whom not onelyonly al creatures but the greatest princes of the worlde must doe homage. God the iudge of the whole worlde vouchsaueth oftentimes to communicate to vsus miserable … a reason of his doings, but this monster must yeelde no reason: No man vvhatsoeuer he …, must aske him vvhy he doeth it. The very heauens svveate at his abhominations. And therefore I conclude this first part, that this is the very Antichriste, that sitteth in mens consciences: And that vvhole body the head and members is that Babilon, Aegipt and Sodome, enemies to Iesus Christ, the true and onelyonly head of his Church, and to all his members.

Novve it followeth to prooue that they are enemies… The papistes are enemies to al christian princes. to Christan princes, and namely the moste daungerous and greateste enemies, that oure Souereigne, the Queenes Maiesty that novv by the grace of god reigneth ouer vsus, hath. Being proued (as they are) … to God, hovv can they be friends to his ministers & magistrates vvhome he hath appointed vnderunder him? If true christiā obediēce to princes must necessarily flow from dutiful obediēce to God, how can they obey christiā mē, that hauehave no fear of God: wel they may couch and crouch for fear of the whip, yeeld an outward & ciuil reuerence, such as M. … speaketh of, but they can neuer louelove truely as children, but feare as slaues, vvhom true knowledge hath not framed, for in respect of God, to … obedience and duty. That this true obedience hath bene taught, aduanced and established in the heartsThe gospell teacheth obedience … al persons the pope resisteth it. of men by the gospell, it is apparant to … men that vvill not be vvilfully blinde, and of mallice kicke against the pricke. For vvhere hath there bene greater and more godly …, humble, lowely and faithfull loyalty in the hearts of subiectes tovvards their princes, vvith the willing bearing of al burdens & paying of al taxes, impositions, and such like ciuill duties, but vvhere the gospell hath moste florished? let all the countries in the vvorld, where it hath bin receiued, speake the truth thereof. Contrari vvise, the troubles that hauehave arisen (as it cannot be denied, but that there hauehave beene greate troubles by occasion thereof, in many places of the vvorld) yet they hauehave al sprong from the vnquiet and hammering heads of faythlesse and trayterous Papists, vvho in fauour of their idolatry hauehave alwayes with a deadly hatred persecuted the trueth, and the true professors of it, And be they what they mighte be, of what estate or condition so euer, superiors or equals, MagistratsThis needeth no confirmation, for the trueth hereof appeareth in all stories. or vassals, Princes or subiectes, they hauehave alwayes bene set against, vndermined and ouerthrown with out all respect, if once they hauehave made but shevv to embrace the Gospell. And hereof hauehave Christian princes found their troubles, common, weales their vvastinges and ouerthowes; Christian people pitiful effusion of bloud, ioyned vvith hideous cruelty, such as vvas neuer exercised amongest heathen Tyrantes. And though all the simpler sort of papists amongst the common people bee not to be dravvne into this companye of … conspiratoures, … and …, but rather are to be deemed as ignorant deceiued, and reduced by the finer sorte of heads, yet these greatest and …, their captains, and … beeing politiques, hauehave offended of knowledge: and making that reckoning of the pope that they doe, they must needs be enemies and traitorus to oure souereigne prince the Queene, euen such as they are to God. For they being fully persua ded in cōscience & in deed, that the pope is Christs vicar, that princes must reigne by him, muste needes deny that those princes who allow not his … and are so …, off from being … by him, that they are excommunicated and deposed (as much as … in him) from their crownes and dignitye; they must deny, I say, as in deed they do, that such at … princes, & therfore deny them al obedience. And hence it is, that popery is alvvayes accompanied … treason, rebellion and consparacye, vvhereof, as our … Lad hath … more then her highnes noble progenitors, in regard that she hath more aduanced the gospel, & yet God be praysed, hath bene deliuered frō thē, so they making but the least shew that could be, of fauoring the … religiō (such as those dark times cold afford thē) which … Henry the second.very dim; hauehave yet had their hands full, being many times put to their shifts, & hardly escaping the losse both of their crowns & liues.aSee our ovvn stories. So was Henry … 2. dealt withal whē his crown was plucked frō his head & he cōpelled like a priuate man; to the no smal disgrace of the maiesty of a Prince. to creepe to the … legat, to be restored againe, So was king IohnKing Iohn. dealt withal, whē frō the pope; by the means of the … & monks, he was discharged frō his gouern mēt, his subiects released frō their alleageāce; his no … in arms & in field against him, & at length finished his miserable life, by the treasō of a monk that poisoned him & himself with him, as their own storiesMat. Pari. 1211 hauehave deliuered vntounto vsus. So dealt they with Henry the 8. a famous prince, stirring vp the emperor against him, the french king & others, wherein thoseCard. Pol. lib. 3. same notable traitors, the one a negromācer Cardinal VVolsey & Cardinal Poole, both special dealers; doing as much as lay in them to depriue him of his kingdōe. As for that blessed … king Edward, al theIn Northfolk, Deuonshire, & other places. cōmotiōs & treasōs that were stirred vp & practised against him. both at home & abroad came from the pope & papists at Rome. Let the stories be searched I speake not so much of those former times, I could shew how king Harrold lost his kingdome, for banishingCapgr. …. VVestmon. one Robert, … of Canterbury, who flying to the duke of Normandy, was not only resto … to his Archbishopricke again, whether the king vvould or no, but the said duke being … by theAnsel. VVilli. the second. pope, got the whol kingdō. So did Anselmus a traitor trouble VVilliā the 2. about the election of byshops, which vvas by his ovvn right, that in spight of the kings teeth, he brought it to the pope that … christ. I could also shevv hovv one Raphe; a pilde &Rase Byshop of Chester. shorn bishop of Chester, did so iustle vvith the king,Barus …. about a tribute for vvhoores, that he suspended the churches, stopped vp the dores vvith thorns, & com pelled the king to yeeld vntounto him, vvhichwhich he coulde neuer hauehave done, had not the pope & diuers of that traiterous ciue assisted him. So one Stephan Langtō Steph. …an archbishop caused the realme to bee enterdited, stirred vp rebellion in Ireland, & prouoked the pope to cōquer it, til the king became the popes tenant, & receiued the crovvne at his handes; So Thomas Arundell,Tho. Arundel. All this is … in our owne chronicles. being also Archbishop of Canterbury and chauncellor (for then all offices might … in any of their men) in the time of king Henry the second, beeing exiled vvith the earle of Darbye, belike for some treason, vvhen the king vvas abient, they deposedGuil. of Malm. Guil. Newbri. Barns. him, & aftervvards put him to death. So raged they also against good duke Hūfrey, the stories shew ing that he began to see, and smel out their knauery the bishop of VVinchester set first vponupon him at Lō don and aftervvards in a parliament time, not … from Bury they murthered him. VVhat shoulde IRich. Scrovvp. speake of Richarde Scrovvpe Archbyshoppe of … in the time of Henry the fouth, who vvas in the fielde againste the king, and had the revvarde of a Traitor. And hence vvas it that they made suche lavves against the procuring of excommunications, Bulles, or ecclesiasticall censures, from the pope or See of Rome, against the king or any of his … Auncient presidentes to shew what they vvere … that procured any Bulles or … from Rome.in those dayes, when popery moste flourished … the time of Edward the first, one for … an excommunication from Rome, againste one of the … subiectes, vvas … the realme, and had suffered, as in case of high …, had not the Chan cellor and treasurer of England made speciall suite for him. Theresore also it vvas enacted that no forreignAnno. Edvv. …, …. power, should hold any plea without the kings protection vvithin this realme or take any vvithout.Anno 27. Edvvard. …. The pope should giuegive no benefices, nor byshop rickes here. They that procured cytations or procurationsStat … in anno 30. from Rome, fell into a Premunire, So didEdw. primi. they that tooke letters of Attourney, lormes or administrationsAn. 25. Edvv. …. for benefices, vvithout the kings speciallAn 27. Edvv. tertii. licence. It was made death, to …, procure or cause to be procured any Summons, excommunicationsRichardi pri. or … from Rome. If any tooke vponuponAnno. 30. them the … of any byshop, sued any proces or sentence, excommunication, Bull or …, touching the kings crown or regality, broughtAn. 16. Rich. them in, or receiued them, notified them, or made execution of them, vvithin the Realme or vvithout, both the offenders and mainteiners vvere out of the kings protection, their Landes and goods vvere con fiscate, and Bulles from Rome for … was a ….An. 2. Henry. 4 I speake not of our late parliamentes and lavves, because they vvill holde they are …, as not being ratified by their Pope and themselues. This being so manifest & plaine, I maruell at Campions impudencye that vvill auouch the Romish religion, not only by …, and philosophy, but also by law both ciuil & temporall yet in force; and yet herein I … appeal to those lawyers that are his best frends & … his … mostè, (the laws stāding as they do) if they vvould plainly shevv their iudgment. … must the trial of Gods religiō, that is alway one & perfect, be subiect novv to the changeable … of men? and yet it may appeare in al ages and times, sith Antichriste displayed himselfe, that hee and his members hauehave beene the … practisers of treasons that euer …, and being such euill men hauehave brought forth those good …, that hath ben made agaynst such vsurpation, and vnnaturall trechery against God, … naturall prince, state and country. I could … that … from their practise, specially vvhen princes began to see some … of the truth, And this vvas the cause that vvhen king Henry began to banishe the Popes… aúthority, he and his land vvere interdicted And didPolus. …. 3. not Cardinall Poole … Charles the … in an oration, being bent against the …, to leaue all that businesse, & to bend his … against …, encouraging the subiectes of the … against their souereigne Lorde? The gospell and the … thereof, hovvsoeuer … be charged by viperous, & … tongues, such … as Surius, VVicellus, …, … and the rest, (vvho seeme to hauehave … that faculty aboue the rest) that from it and the preachers thereof, hath sprung …, blodshed, disobedience, contention, and … in france, Germany and other countries: The trueth is, that from themselues and vnderunder their ovvn vvings these … of treason and rebellion hauehave euermore bene hatched, or else from suche … as …. I mean the …, vvho, howsoeuer they differ in some heads, yet they are fast tied together by the …. For Caluine, Beza, Luther and such other excellent instruments hauehave bin from time to time, the onelyonly oppugners and resisters of these heretiques, and their rebellious proceedinges: when papists hauehave clapped their handes and laughed in … sleeues at them, because hereby truth was brought into hatred vvith Christian princes, & theyThe impudencie of Hovvlet … the aduantage to set vp their … I dolatry and heresie: And therefore I vvonder not a litle at this platterfaced ovvle of Parsons, that vvith his staring and shamelesse countenance, dareth euen to the maiesty of a prince, vvhom the Pope his maister and al the right Papists, such as he calleth the hotter sort of Catholiques, condemne as aaSand. lib. 7. 30. Schismatique & heretique, and therfore think themselues discharged of all obedience, and her highnesse to hauehave no …: of gouernment ouer them, that he should thus savvn vponupon her vvhō he condemneth, and loueth as vvel as the light of the gospel, vvhichwhich neither he, nor any of that darke broode could euer abide, yet I say, that he dareth thus shamlesly to flatter, as thogh she were so simple to be caried away with vvords, when she seeth & vnderstādeth their deeds, hath selt their practises, and (if God of his wōderful mercy had not kept her highnes) had tasted of their cruelty, as other Princes & noble gentlemē hauehave done before her & round about her. VVhat should I blot paper, in setting down such things as eueryevery book soundeth forth only let vsus hear out of thebSanders the mouth of …, in his booke dedicated to the pope, approued by the Cardinals, & allovved by the popish … of …. mouth of the papaists on of their own doctors, how they … of her …. I meane not to set dovvn, that might yeelde me some aduantage against them, as neyther standing vvith my … to … it, … spoken to the dishonoure of her maiesties person, not beeingSo doth Brist. …. 5. fol. 72. 73. fit to be noted by vvriting in the face of the world, but rather to receiue, a punishment due for suche presumtuous …: onelyonly I vvill mention, howeStorie, Felton, the Nor to …, VVodhou e, Plumtre, and al the northen men that vver in actuall rebellion …, the other in … & …, …. he maketh Story, Felton & others, that vvere condemned not in any cause of religion, but for high treason, … he maketh them Martyrs. The moste …, that refuse without al reason the meanes of …, and hauehave bene for … & iust … yet …, he calleth constāt …, but I hope, some of thē are ashamed (I know whatsoeuer they ar, they may be) to hauehave their names in such a kalēder. Of those same rebels, in the north, that appeared in actuall rebelliō against her highnesse, he maketh a solemne kalēder, he putteth in a Catalogue their names & cōditions giuing it thisLib. 7. de visib. …. … qu: … fidem …, & … Monarch pag. 730. pag 734.…, arma …, & … & …. The names & cōditions of those englishmen vvhichwhich tooke arms, & are yet in exile for the Catholike …, & for the primacy of the church of Rome. He reherseth the Bull of … Quintus against her highnesse, & plainly asseuereth, that it vvas for iuste causes declared & published. He calleth her maiesty the pretended Queene, and sheweth hovve Doctor Morton was sent into England to admonish … catholike noble mē, that Elizabeth that then gouerned vvas an …, & that for that cause she was by very right fallen from all gouernment & power, vvhichwhich she vsurped ouer the catholiques, & that she might be … of them without any danger, … an heathen & publicane, neither that they were frō …, bound to obey her laws & … he sheweth, that … noble men … to deliuer their brethren ab … de from the tyranny of heretiques, and albeit thinges fel not out to … expectation, yet he … their attempt. In another place he affirmeth that … in some cases, kings and Emperors that gouern christianLib. 20. cap. 4. …. people be not subiect to Christes …, yet by the vertue of the keyes of the kingdome of heauen, vvhen their gouernments hurte the … of …, and the saluation of souls, they are to be deposed. Did … any professor of the … a sentence? Alack, they … out of …, for an … which … gathered and forged many yeares after his death, that princes being in deadlyIn …. … Conci. Const …. …. sinne are no longer princes, nor … are to yeld thē any longer obedience, vvhichwhich yet the article (as it vvas first set dovvne in the Concil of Constance) speaketh of Priestes and …. This Ovvle a so vvhopeth against vsus of obedience, that we break the book, that we dispise aucthority, that we do this and that, but look vpō the face of this babe, mark the fea ture of this cub, view his claw, and tell me who is his damme & … we or these … papists? …, … first a …, and … an …, or an … amongst Catholique pe ple … be … of … kingdom And a … Li. 2 ca. 4. 78.…, If … A … …, that Christians being … common … vnderunder them, … esse … born that … should of their … set …. …. d. … suffered an …: que … them? … … thou must not say … Aue, … of … their …. … they serue … or … not more to obey …: … to …? Do you think the Queen is… the … o …. not like to hauehave good … & … of … as may not … to salute …? do not they cal her their mother, Gods substitute, and their … Queene, in mockage, when they cry thus all …, and yet buffet her, breking the very neck of her …. The same Sanders …, that it is the special … of bishops, … their … or an …, … Pag. ….they … the … the …, as that … as may …, may …, … in … non …, It is the …, by … soeuer … they …, …, that … in the … of … not in the … of …. This traytor throughout that vvhole chapter laboreth to proue, that … del ought not to … the faythfull, … he asketh whether he be … the name of … man, … shall … that … not … be … to …, …, … after one …, if …, ob … a …, …, per … & … & …: For the same … they may … ought … of … to be … from i … they holds …. After a long … he … conclusion, Pronus …, …, …, …, eum … non vult, …, & … It is … for the Church of Christ, to remoue a king that is …, …, … and …, … a … not …, from his …, and … place. It amongst a multitude one … man or tvvo, hauehave … their … opinions, not in cō mon, but …, not by …, against such as they …, but tyrants in deede, O hovv they yelpe, …, …, crovv and vvhoope, to bring all the … into …, and yet these are their …: in them forsooth catholike and religious, … in vsus … and …. This made Byshop Fysher and Syr. Thomas Moore vvith … others, to loose their heades. supposing to dye Catholiques, they had in deede as they vvere and deserued, the … of … The pope that then vvas, I meane Pope Clemente that was the sonne of a Curtesan, This was Leo the tenths bastard also, as some thinke, sente out … Bull againste king Henry the eyghte, but thankes bee to God, it neyther shooke his seat, as he had thought it should … depriued him of his kingdomes, as hee vndoubtedly looked …; but it vvas a meanes to bring many of those Romish calues to a iust …, though many ventured but to late vponupon his absolution, … they tooke it after his life in purgatory.

Of this wholesome doctrine confirmed by the popes practise, hauehave sprong all rebellions, Treasons …, tumults, …, and vprores, in al com mon vvealths and …, vvhere the pope hath had any thing ado, not of any right, but by vsurpation.Plat lib. 10. 2. Tom. Conci. For Emperors were wont … depose euil popes, now euil popes despose good kings. So vvas the gouernmentIn … & …. … Parisiis cap. 14. of France once by such a deposing, transposed from the right heires for euer. VVhen … deposed Chilperick, & Pipin his Marshal became,… q 6. …. king, so did Vrban depose Perse the king of Spaine, setting in … Henry a …. I … notAlius. …, … Henry the fourth, because I hauehave mentioned them before. So would Pope Pius impiously hauehave done, … his povver had …, to our gracious Queen, vvhom the Lord long preserue, to hold vp his icepter among vsus Neither say we as Parsons … woulde … vsus speake, that eueryevery contrary profession … in any state or … is by and by treason, or that they … any contrary religion … by and by traytors. For falsehoodThe …: … M. Charkes booke v. … it …; …the name of … or any others. is many times defended and perketh vp, when trueth is in … and hardly … face. The vvorld loueth her ovvne, & all princes be not true professors and … of Prophets: But this … saye, that … and treason are commonly inseperable … and …. The foundation and vvhole building is naught … but treason and trechery. Christe and his … the trueth, taughte true obedience, gaue to Caesar that vvhiche vvas Caesars, and to God that vvhichwhich vvas Gods, Christe … tribute … and for Peter: and though … bee contrarye to falsehood, yet there is no … in … againste falsehood, but in … against trueth Our gracious … therefore by the grace of God mainteining trueth …, true religion against …, vpholding the Gospell of righteousnes, and reigning by Christe, they that shall … it, seeking together her … vvith it, from a forraigne Italian vsurper are not onelyonly traytors against her, but agaynst God. They that shallIf the … any … land, hee must … hauehave it frō the vvord of God, or … our laws & so from both, or else …. pinche her …, … it, … to … povver, … her …, … againste her, … the … of obedience, … in Bulles to roare out her …, discharge her … from …, holde her as an … and labour to vvithdravve the louing … of her subiectes by any newe pardons or …, all whiche the papistes hauehave doone, and doe …? they are enimies to God, to her Highnes, to the vvhole state, and to them selues: and except they …, God in … vvhen they think least of it, wil finde out their vvickednesse, and as he did vntounto Story make thē feele the punishment of their vvicked treason? If this be not their dealing, let me be reproued. If their rebellion in the North, their conspiracie in Norffolke, their calculating her byrth, their practises by Sorcerye, by imagery, and such trumpery, their libelling … slaundering, their threatning and monstrous flattering, their … inuading of her highnes territories and dominions, with giuing placards to the meanest of her subiects to shed her blood, that hath beene alleaged before, be not ynough to conuince them to bee …, let mee beare the shame of it. I coulde set downe the particulers, but that the same are handled, and it may please God, one day, besides that whiche is already declared, that a iust … vvil be published of it. I referre the reader for further satisfaction herein to the vvorthye vvorks of M. Norton published at that time, when the Bull roared so … in our eares, and to his vvarning giuen to our Northen rebels. I referre them also to Howlets checke nowe in publishing. VVho did these things but papistes? vvho procured the Bull, broughte it into the Realme, set it vp, and published it? And what vvas the matter, against vvhome, for vvhat, and to vvhat purpose? VVhat vvere …? vvho platted the deposing of the Queene, and … vp of another Mary amongst vsus? VVho conferred vvith the Diuell? sovved … reportes and … to effect their mali ious purposes? VVho had their …, their Seminaristes and landleapers to gadde from place to place, and from country to counrrye, and from gentlemans house to gentlemans house to shedde the seede of …, but ranke and … papistes? … that are in high places, knovve to whom the knowledge of these thinges speciallye belong, that … conspiracies, treasons, practise of her maiesties death, hath bene found in that nest, For … they glauer, their minds are known, and their … are seene, and to the discomfort of all … be it spoken, God of his goodnesse hath from time to … brought their secretest … and attempts done in the darke to light; he hath thrown their ladden treasons into our lappes, vnfolding thē & laying them open; in tender regard of his churche, and to the ende her highnesse taking good heed might more & more be confirmed in the truth & learn to rest in the assurance of his protection, that hath bene her mighry …, in al her greatest dangers, And thanks be to his goodnes, he hath done it … any great blodshed or hard dealing, either of rack, or of any other torturs, and though it please … M. Censurer to vtter his malapertnesse, … into the iudgement of her … dealings concerning the racking of those lately in the tower, … the worlde in hande, that it was for religion, yet he might hauehave considered, that it is much better for one or two bodies to be scaired and feared, then that a vvhole countrye shoulde bee betrayed; that one member shoulde bee cut off, then all the reste shoulde …, and had hee beene so … seene, as he vvould seeme to be, he had had sufficient … to consider, that they comming ouer at suche … as they did, their complices the Popes souldiers appearing in actuall rebellion in …, and diuers commnig ouer in companies and troupes, to scatter (were it) but their errours, their Honours had good cause finding them obstinate against religion & her highnes Iawes, to distrust their sidelity, and to regard … safety, rather to … them vvith the racke, then we should be seared with the ouerthrowe of our florishing peace and country, vvihch God in mercy turne from vsus. This also hath God done for her, that her highnesse may cary alvvayes a thankfull heart towardes him, vvhen shee shall hauehave such experience of his mercy in preseruing her, whē she shalbe established in iudgement, not to bee affected vvith eueryevery Syrens voyce that seemeth very sweete, but yet bringeth a sharpe destruction, as this Howlet, that with his yuybushe at the first is verye humble, lowely and lovv, but resteth not there. For as it groweth and getteth strength, it claspeth and girdeth so harde, that within a little time it will kill the hart of the greatest oake. and get aboue it; to be an haborowe for such owles and vncleane birdes as himself is. And euen so did the first pope deale vvith the Emperour, he crept alow, till … aurhotity bare him vp, & so he crept vp by litle & litle, … the … decayed; was remoued and ouerthrowne, and novv he is become the … for al the silthy byrds in the world. I will make on farther application, the wise I hope vvill see light at a little hole.

VVho hauehave bene those traitors that hauehave stirred, vp other princes agaynst the Quecne? vvho hauehave procured their forces, and labored for an alteration by colourable practises, but papistes? VVho hauehave beene suche trayterly fugitiues as them selues? vvho are the authors of erronious & traiterous bookes, … forth as wildfyre, & throwen as fyr: … into our church & cōmon wealth, to kindle the sire … rebellion, but papistes? For who hath vvritten against her highnes by name, against her trusty … but you Papists? agaynst such as you moste hated, because their vvisdome and care in the Lord was against you, fome being … frō your malice, & … yet liuing maugre your heads, to helpe (as lōg as it shal please God) with their faithful … against you? vvho … taken vponupon … to decide … to discouer, as they say, priuy treasons to debate of state matters, and to make heires apparant, but papists? VVas there any one protestant that can be named that did these things. No goodman How let, hovvsoeuer Surius, Frarin, & such scurrilous raylers charge the gospell and the profestors of it, it is vvith the same trueth that the … their master is vvont to speake against the truth, & no otherwise. It is as fit … a papist to speake of obecience, and as yll it be cōmeth him, as vvhen an Ovvle counterfaiteth to become an Eagle, or when he wil take vponupon him to sing like an Nightingale. You must bear with me, the name you hauehave chosen, vvhether truely or like a counterseite, maketh some prouerbs to fit my porpose. Is not true obedience to God in his true religion and vvorship, the mother of all true obedience and duety to princes and peeres? And hovve then can a …, that is a traitour to God in his worship, be saythful & true to princes? VVhat cōscience is there, vvhere there is no knowledge? & what knowledge can there be vvithout his word. & without the gospel, to teach either obedience to God, or duety to Princes? The subiect that feareth God, the instructed Christian, he only knoweth how to obey in and for God. He … knoweth what duety is to be rendred to Gods Liuetenants. They are not the best …, that are readiest to fulfill all Princes commaundementes and pleasures, but they are … subiectes, that louelove and honour their Princes in the Lorde, not of custome but of conscience, yea for conscience sake, though they bee euill, both to pray for them and to … in … duety … their conuersion vntounto God; and if they cannot be vvonne, patiently to beare … is layde vppon them. The other are seruauntes and …, these are children. The one obey of feare, the other of louelove. Those fulfill their willes with the breach of Gods. These submit themselues to suffer, and pray the chaunging of their mindes, that they may enioy a kingdome, vvhere there shall be no respect of ….

If any … obiecte the troubles of Fraunce, and Flaunders, and … countries, vvhere they … to hauehave colour of charging the professours of the Gospell to hauehave taken armes against their princes, as I hauehave sayde …, to I say agayne, they … arisen by occasion from … owne vvicked and wretched …, for that through treason and … hauehave … drawne moste dishonorably to break … ovvne fayth and …, to goe … their … lawes and …, whiche armed subiectes, … against their Princes, but vvith and … the … of them, againste the … & heady … of … singular persons And therefore they hauehave euermore bene … by their …, … de … and … discharged from all disloyaltie by their publique instrumentes and vvritings, their souldiers hauehave bene payed from their Princes paye, and so hauehave bene discharged. As for rebellion and the schollers thereof, hauehave alvvayes sprong out of the Schole of Popery, it is a vvhelpe of your ovvne litter, and an egge of your owne nest. Macke Morris vvas a Papist, so is Saunders (if he be yet …) that set in of late for Ireland, & brought a company thither, out of Italy to get a kingdome, to … a place vvherein to lay their dead …, and to bury their bones. It is your doctrine, Hovvlet, and those of your fether, that holde that … be duely discharged from subiection, and Bristovv in his Motiues. Motiue 40. In the … of obedience.… Prince from dominion, by the … authoritie of the common Pastor of …. VVe hauehave and do acknowledge our selues subiect of duetie, by the institution of God, vve confesse her Hyghnes lawfull authoritie to extende to and ouer all sortes, and no mans profession to exempt him from obedience & fealty, vvhichwhich you do not: for if you yeelde any, you saye, It is but … common … sake, …, and so farre … as … for the accustomed vse of a natural …. and onelyonly in temporall thinges. You hauehave no cause therefore, to storme in suche …, nor to take it in suche dudgeon, for beeing sayde to be enimies to God, and to her royall Maiestie. And it is a levvde lye that this broadefaced owle vvould face downe that Papistes set her … into her gouernment, and wilHovvlet Praef. likewise be ready to maynteine her in it, vvhen all the … knovveth, and eueryevery Court vponupon record soundeth, that they hauehave shaken her seate, and endeuoured from time to time, as muche as laye in them to depose her from her peaceable and rightfull Scepter. To conclude therefore, The Papists erring in doctrine, and beeing members to … that … of sinne, aduersary to … Christ, and beeing the most … liuers that euer vvere, setting them selues … agaynst the righteousnes of theThis is … by all their p … be fore. Gospell, and beeing playnly proued to be deadly enimies agaynst all gouernment, the … of treasons, the styrrers vp of strife and rebellion, in all … vvheresoeuer they become, beeing persvvaded that the Pope can not erre, vvho hath pronounced our Soueraigne to be a Schismatique, and hath … his Bull to depriue her of … royall … and dignitie, and to discharge her Subiectes of all loyaltie and duetie, reconciling, persvvading, and vvithdravving her subiectes to the pretended authoritieAgainst the last statute. of Rome: I conclude that they are enimiesto God, to their ovvne Realme and countrie, to their naturall Prince, and to them …: and I beseeche God, either to turne their hearts, or els to giuegive them the … of traytours. And thus muche to require this Papist in asseuering that vvhichwhich I set downe in my dedicatory Epistle.

Novve a vvorde or tvvo concerning the Fast at Stamford, and so an ende. VVhereas this … Ovvle, to bring the trueth into hatred vvith her Maiestie, by vvaye of comparison, setting his quiet Catholiques, and their doctrine of obedience, agaynst vsus and … of the same matter, to … The common … of … to … and … men with that where, … they hauehave no ….me, vvho hauehave (as he sayde) so falsly infamed them, promising to set dovvne certayne propositions … out of tvvo … of my Preachers. &c. I … no farther credite of the vvhole Church of God, of her …, & of all indifferent men, then I shall be able to proue the same by sufficient testimonies to be most shamefull and …. And first, before I enter into it, vvhat colour of … can it hauehave, that those propositions out of their Sermons should be gathered by a Minister, vnlesse it vvere some such … as Euerard Hans vvas, alias Ducket, vvho … thereabouts before his going ouer? Thinke you there vvas any Minister so familiar vvith this Ovvle beeing of the darke broode of Papists? If he vvere a Minister, eyther he must be some such hypocriticall lyer and an accuser & … of his b. …, or els this ougly owle hath out of his ovvne heade to declare himselfe a … like his father, … these shameful vntruthes. He … that this … was forbidden, by the L. Superintendent of Lincolne, by his letters bearing date the fifth of Septēber, & yet that these Preachers vvould not …, that the letters vvere directed to the … & Comburgesses there. In deede it is true, that after the allovvance of this Fast, by former letters … the Byshop, and at the request of others, all vvhichwhich … are set dovvne, that the Bishop sent some such restraynt, … by some rumor …, that his appoynted order should not … obserued, both as touching theGood thinges neuer lacke …. … of …, & also … bringing in some …, for vvhose doings he could not answer: but M. … & his brethren very wisely considering that the … now already appointed and vvarranted, and beeing cleare in their … knovvledge from any … of altering that vvhichwhich vvas prescribed and …, … they should seeme to yeeld to suche suppositions as they … dreamed of, & so shew them selues …: they kept their determinatiō according to thorder whichOthervvise they shoulde hauehave shevved themselues …. was prescribed. And therfore, thogh Parsons Howlet by some of his inteligencers gat notice of such a letter, yet he was not acquainted with the premisses, nor with al that belonged to this matter. And it might well be, that by practise of some enemy giuing false insormation (as lightly there lackes none to hinder good things) vvhen the fast had beene in diuers places of the Realme els where, … the fearefull earthquake, a token of Gods anger, and vvas ordinarily sought for, by the Alderman and Comburgesses there, to the ende they might shevve their forwardnesse, to humble them selues beforc the Lord, as … had done, it may be, I say, that that exercise vvas then sought to be stayed, as the first vvas, but thankes be to God it vvas both orderly kept, and vvell obtayned. For vponupon better information giuenThe Lorde Treasurers honourable readinesse to further the fast of Stamford. to the Right Honorable the Lord Burleigh, Lorde high … of England, vvho by reason that his Honour is Lord of that towne of Stamford, and for that also his Lordships house of Burleigh is hard adioyning …, and beeing othervvise very good Lord vntounto the tovvne, he vvas the rather made acquaynted vvith their good desire and proceeding, and by the letters of M. Robert Iohnson also satisfied. To vvhichwhich letter his Honour vouchsafed to giuegive an honourable and fauourable aunswere, returned to the sayd M. Robert Iohnson from the Court then beeing at Otelandes, bearing date the 25. day of Iuly 1580. vvherein his Lordship shevveth his good contentment and forvvardnes to so holy an exercise testifying that for the sayde M. Iohnsons readines and paynes in preaching, in teaching and reading in those partes thereabout, he hath cause both to esteeme and louelove him. His Lorship exhorteth him to continue in his vocation. I set not dovvne his Honours letters in respect of duety, not hauing communicated my purpose vvith his Honour, trusting of his Honors fauour in this behalfe, seeing it is against an enimy of God, and in maintenaunce of the truth. But this is true, that therwithall his Lordship vvrote also a louing letter to the Alderman and Burgesses of the sayd towne of Stamford, bearing the same date, approuing any thing, that the Bishop should direct or order in that behalfe, & another also he vvrote to the Bishop of the Diocesse vvhichwhich they foorthvvith sent by a speciall messenger & a letter frō themselues: and this vvas the copie of the letters sent from the towne.

A Caveat for Parsons Howlet, Dedication (2 of 2)